Sectional wheel for automobiles



Feb. 11, 1941. FLANDES 2,231,183

SECTIONAL WHEEL FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed May 25, 1939 Patented Feb. 11, 1941- PATENT OFFICE.

SECTIONAL WHEEL F OR AUTOMOBILES Gilberto Raul Rivera fiandcaMezico, D. F.,

Application May 25, 1939, Serial at. 215.744 mmxm March is, 1939 1 Claim.

This invention-relates to a sectional wheel for automobiles and has for an object to provide a wheel which may be easily disassembled to permit the pneumatic tire being freely removed as 5 a unit without injury to the beads or without the necessity of detaching the pneumatic tire gradually from the rim as is now done.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sectional wheel which can be assembled 10 or disassembled without use of special tools or special skill. I

, A further object is to provide a sectional wheel so constructed that the tire retaining flange portions of the rim may be considerably enlarged over conventional flange portions to promote safety in that the tire when punctured will remain in place on the rim and prevent serious accidents.

A further object is to provide 5 sectional wheel In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a sectional 5 wheel constructed in accordance with the invention, with portions broken away.

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view of the sectional wheel taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a detail view showing one of the 40 tongue and groove connections of the two sections of the wheel.

Figure 4 is a-detaii perspective view showing the resilient tongues on the hub cap.

Figure 5 is a detail perspective view showing 45 the resilient hooks and spring tongues on the hub'cap retaining ring.

Referring now to the drawing in which like characters of reference designate similar parts in the various views, I designates a pneumatic 50 tire and II designates the inner tube thereof,

these parts being conventional.

In carrying out the invention, a drop center rim tire wheel is provided, the same comprising a pair of rim sections I2 and I3 formed with rei ective tire retaining flange portions I4 and I 01' greater diameter than is conventional, and

having respective flat drop center, annular porare spaced from and confront the loops.

A plurality of screws 25 are passed through the flanges I8 and I9 of the rim sections, through the hub cap retaining ring 22 and are adapted to be passed into the brake drum to secure the parts of the wheel together as well as to secure the wheel to the brake drum. A plurality of bolts 26 or similar connectors are engaged through the flanges I 8 and I9 of both rim sections I2 and I3 to coact with the screws in securing the rim sections together.

As best shown in Figures 2 and 3, the shoulder 35 2! of the rim section I3 is provided with a plurality ofvrecesses 21 which receive tongues 23 that project from the rim section I2. These interfltting tongue and recess connections between the rim sections assist in properly local:- ing the sections relatively to each other when amembling the sections on a tire.

The rim section I3 is provided with an opening 29 to receive the valve 30 of the inner tube.

A hub cap 3I is provided with a plurality of resilient tongues 32, corresponding in number to the spring loops 23 and adapted to be received between the loops and the spring tongues 24.

A hoop 33, formed of aluminum or other desired material, is disposed to bridge the drop rim sections I6 and I! and conceal the crevice between these sections so that the inner tube will not be pinched therebetween under severe conditions of service.

In operation to remove a tire, the vehicle wheel is jacked up as is conventional and then the hub cap 3| is removed. The brake drum bolts 25 are next removed so that the hub cap retaining ring 22 may be detached. Then the whole' wheel is demounted and placed upon the ground with the rim section I2 uppermost. Then the bolts 26 orsimilar connectors are removed and this permits the removal of the section I2 from the section I3. The bridge hoop 33 is then 7 removed whereupon the tire is free and can be 63 tion.

removed asa unit without being removed gradually as is ordinarily done, and thus the beads are protected from injury.

From the above description it is thought that the construction and operation of the invention will be fully understood without further explana- What is claimed is:

A sectional wheel comprising a pair of rim sections formed with respective tire retaining flange portions and having respective drop center annular portions, radially disposed flanges formed integral with the drop center portions having cut-away portions to decrease the weight of the wheel and form spokes of the wheel, one

of said flanges being provided with a shoulder at its inner periphery having a plurality of recesses, a plurality of tongues formed on the other rim section engaged in said recesses to assist in properly locating the sections relatively 5 GILBERTO RAUL RIVERA FLANDES. 

